Virtual Insanity

Virtual insanity has gobbled up our youth, who are always in pursuit of validation from others to accept their folly on social media platforms. This virtual madness has weakened our socially flimsy fabrics and paved the way for the depletion of rational elements. This new category of virtual fever undermined the conventional division of body and soul that existed since the dawn of human civilization.

Moreover, this imbecility inspires these strange creatures to seek validation for their pseudo-emotions, clichéd opinions, and appreciation of their status quo and commodity fetishism. They constantly seek to acknowledge their madness, which also exacerbates their expectations from friends. It’s a hectic job to respond to and follow every imbecility on social media. We are exhausted and ashamed to send you stickers for your wonders.

Each time we open an app—Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp —we come across ludicrous stuff ranging from pictures of food, travel updates, clothes brands, cars, and many more. We understand your interest in these commodities, but what would you get from our pretentious validation? Let’s suppose you consumed pizza or a burger or bought new clothes or a car. So what? Do our stickers increase the chances of your nomination for the Nobel Prize for high consumption? Or does it validate your virtual commodity fetish identity? Or does it validate your existence on Earth?

This virtual delirium can be witnessed in social media trends where every virtual being imitates a particular viral video to maintain their identity in the virtual world. This exercise of virtual existence results in the depletion of rational elements and the wastage of precious time. Furthermore, the rapid flow of a plethora of information, videos, and images shuns the cerebral part of youth and captivates their emotions to pursue the same folly. This insanity also engulfed the aged population and drove them crazy in various aspects, ranging from using Billingsgate lingo to show exacerbated masculinity and narcissism, religiosity, and sheer consumerism.

Detachment from reality is also a product of this virtual delirium. This insanity exposes a person’s disconnection from reality in multiple dimensions. People curate and post only the best parts of their lives on social media platforms, which can lead to unjustified contrasts and feelings of inadequacy. This can lead to a mistaken interpretation of reality. Furthermore, people may find it difficult to distinguish between the actual and digital worlds due to the immersive nature of virtual settings like virtual reality and online gaming. A lessened appreciation for real, in-person interactions, genuine emotions, and the richness of real-world experiences might arise from this alienation. This left little room for people to experience the world and fill the Blank slates of their minds.

We need to take a moment to look with the naked eye, not with the virtual lens, at our plight and contemplate what we are doing and seeking. A few days ago, a friend of mine lamented this madness that gobbled us up with utter antagonism. He said this unbridled madness would yield a breed of youth with massive sappiness and fanaticism.

No offense, but this virtual delirium can be highly observed in the nouveau riches and the urban middle-class youth who acquired economic stability from privatization in Musharraf’s era and political consciousness from a narcissistic populist leader. I must say, it is a lethal combo.